Snow Fire
by Moon'sMistress
Summary: I knelt towards the ground putting my ear to the dirt. Listening as it seemed to pulsate with life. I lifted my head as the call grew louder. 'I'm right here Ember! Can't you see me!" It called and my heart pounded thunder in my ears as I searched. "Where are you!" I called and it answered 'I'm right here'
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Eragon or any of the characters that you know.

I attempted to block out the annoying chatter of gossiping girls as I made my way towards Horst's forge for a long days work. Praying that I wouldn't be forced into a monotonous day of making nails.

"Isn't he adorable?" A girl giggled as she looked longingly at one of those damned soldiers that have made themselves at home in Carvahall. I rolled my eyes at her ignorance. No doubt that she had no idea what they were really doing here, but I knew. I could see it in their eyes as they watched the boys hard at work and play. Scanning them for all their strengths. Soon they would carry some of those boys away and force them to be soldiers. I sighed lightly as I absentmindedly fiddled with my onyx necklace, picking over the things that I may have forgotten to do before I left the house. _Did I move that chair back?_ I thought to myself. Normal people would probably not give much thought to whether or not they put a chair back where it belonged, but they did not live with an old blind man. I'd taken residence in the home of Elsdon Pratchett about seven years ago. I'm been lost in the woods and starving with no memory of who I was or how I'd gotten there when he'd happened upon me on a trip back from town, and he'd taken me in. He could see blurs back then, so he didn't need my help as much but as time went by, his vision grew worse until it finally failed, and he grew dependent on me. I'd started working as Horst's apprentice four years ago when he caught me tinkering around with some old scrap metal.

"Snow!" A voice called, shaking me from my thoughts as I neared the forge, already smelling the burning coal. I turned to find Eragon racing up the hill towards me, a large grin on his face. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his excitement and settled for crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

"You'll never believe what I found in the Spine! I-" But I cut him off by clamping my hand over his mouth and frowning at him.

"Have you completely lost your mind? The Spine is dangerous." I hissed as I removed my hand before people got the wrong idea about the two of us.

"I know, but I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." He grunted as he took on a puffy stance. _Boys._ I thought as I shook my head at him.

"That is not the point. People go missing in the Spine. There are all sorts of creatures that would gladly kill you for a light snack." I scolded before I started off again. He huffed lightly before he ran and jumped in front of me, blocking my path.

"I'm sorry alright? But would you just look at what I found?" He asked as he rummaged in his bag and brought forth a round something wrapped in a cloth.

"What is that?" I asked as he unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful blue stone like thing.

"It's a blue stone." He commented as if it were obvious. Normally, it would be me to dish out the sarcasm, but something about this object shook me. I could instantly tell that this was no stone, but I couldn't place how I knew that.

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked as we stood outside of the forge.

"I'm going to see if Sloan will give me some meat for it." He comment with a shrug as he wrapped it back up and place it gently into his bag.

"Good luck with that. You know what Sloan thinks about things from the Spine." I laughed.

"We'll see." He shrugged, before he turned to leave.

"Bye Snow." He spoke in farewell.

"Goodbye Eragon. Good luck with your rock." I laughed, before I turned to find Horst looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't say it." I grunted as I put on my apron, before beginning the days work.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Eragon or any of the charcters that you know. The song is also NOT mine, it's call 'misty mountain'.

Sweat trickled down my face and neck as the ring of a hammer against metal provided sweet music to my ears. I'd been given the relief of nail duty today and allowed to work on a broken sword. Though it pained me because the sword belonged to a soldier, I couldn't help the smile the played on my lips as I molded it into a masterpiece.

~* Flash back ~*

The thunder of hammers against metal hung just below the rock ceiling as a song rang out against the noise.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old,

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

While hammers fell like ringing bells

In places deep, where dark things sleep

In hollow halls beneath the fells.

Muscles strained against the effort to lift the heavy hammer once more, only to have it clash back down against red hot iron. Sweat trickled down my neck and my damp hair stuck to my smudged face as I lifted the hammer again.

For ancient king and elvish lord

There many a gleaming golden hoard.

The shape and wrought, and light they caught

To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung

The flowering stars, on crowns they hung

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old.

We must away, ere break of day,

To claim our long-forgotten gold.

My arms and back seemed to scream in protest but there was no way that I could let them see that my strength was lessening. I could keep up with them no matter what they said. The hammer rose high above my head and connected once more with the almost finished master piece before me, as my voice rose among the others.

Goblets they carved there for themselves

And harps of gold; where no man delves.

There lay they long, and many a song

Was sung unheard by men or elves,

The pine were roaring on the height,

The winds were moaning in the night,

The fire was red, its flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale

And men looked up with their faces pale;

The dragon's ire more fierce than fire

Laid low their towers and houses frail.

I quickly wiped sweat from my eyes as tears of agony stung like fire. Every bone in my body screamed for me to lay down the hammer and quit. I'd done enough. Surely I have earned my place amongst them with what I had done? Yet there was a smaller voice inside of me, urging me to continue. To not give up on what I'd started, so I sang louder.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;

The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.

They fled their hall to dying fall

Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim.

To dungeons deep and caverns dim,

We must away, ere break of day,

To win our harps and gold from him!

The pines were roaring on the height,

The winds were moaning in the night,

The fire was red, its flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light.

There bells were ringing in the dale

And men looked up with faces pale;

The dragon's ire more fierce than fire

Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The song finished as I set my hammer back into my pocket tools before dunking the now finished blade into a bucket of cool water where it steamed and hissed, before removing it. The blade shone and glistened under the light, the crushed onyx that I'd sprinkled on while it was still hot twinkled in the fires light, tears of joy trickled down my cheeks as I tested its balance on my fingers to find it perfect. I had done it.

~* End Flashback ~*

"Ember?" Horst called questioningly as I found myself staring into the fire, rushing to catch the memory that seemed to slip through my fingers like grains of sand. I turned to find the tall burly man looking as me with worried eyes.

"I'm fine." I reassured before I lifted the hammer and went back to shaping the sword. _Was that a memory of my past?_ I thought to myself as I found myself once again mesmerized by the burning flames. I'd waited so long to have some hint of who I'd been before I was found in the woods. Some clue as to if I had a family somewhere waiting for me to return to wherever I'd once lived. It was hard to tell, because as soon as I thought I'd captured a memory at last, it would slip away.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Eragon or any of the charcters that you know.

I found myself being distracted by little things as I journeyed home from the town. Things that I'd never really payed close attention to seemed to draw my attention like a moth to a flame. The birds' song sounded sweet against my ears and the soft shush of the winds dancing with the shivering leaves of ancient trees. It occurred to me that maybe there was something that I was missing as I walked down the barely beaten path through the woods. Like there was something important at work here and I wasn't in tune enough to see it.

"What are you wanting me to see?" I asked no one as I gently sat my bag down beside an old rock before I climbed up and sat cross legged on it. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply trying to clear my mind as Elsdon taught me a few months ago.

"If there is something you're wanting to see but can't, it is probably because your mind is to crowded. You need to clear it." He'd instructed. _In. Out. Breath._ I thought as I picked up a strange. Well I wasn't really sure what it was. It seemed to be like an energy of some sort coming from a little ways to the left. I frowned lightly as I shouldered my bag once more and took off towards this strange energy source. My heart fluttered with excitement as I seemed to soar through the woods, bounding over fallen logs and large rocks as if I were kin to a deer. The energy source seemed to call to me. 'This way Ember. I'm right here.' It called as I ducked under a wall of limbs and continued my search.

I stopped, my chest heaving as I knelt towards the ground putting my ear to the dirt. Listening as it seemed to pulsate with life. I lifted my head as the call grew louder. 'I'm right here Ember! Can't you see me!" It called and my heart pounded thunder in my ears as I searched.

"Where are you!" I called and it answered 'I'm right here!'. I stood still, emptying my mind of nothing but that strong call, that pulled my feet before I gave them permission to go. I found what I was looked for underneath a pile of sopping wet leaves and mud, hidden from all except for me. It was a grey stone, and appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary grey rock, but it was warm to the touch and as I held it close to my ear, it seemed to pulsate, to call to me to take care of it because it was here for me.

"No worries. I'm here now." I spoke to it, and I might have wondered if I'd looked insane talking to a rock, but no one was here to see me. I pulled off my leather jacket and wrapped it around the stone, not noticing the cool air on my bare arms, before placing it carefully in my bag.


End file.
